Another day passed. The transformation process concluded, and numerous Soul Beasts successfully transitioned. The Soul Beast Soul Masters, now possessing Dharma Bodies, began sparring with one another to familiarize themselves with their skyrocketing power.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Huo Yuhao turned to find the Ice Emperor and Snow Emperor, only to realize the Ice Emperor was nowhere to be seen. Only the Snow Emperor remained, sitting on an ice rock nearby.
"Snow Emperor, where did the Ice Emperor go?"
"Don't worry, Bing'er went to absorb a 100,000-year Snow Lotus I found earlier. Xiao Bai is protecting her; she'll be fine."
The Snow Emperor spoke calmly. Her ice-blue eyes seemed to shimmer with light, looking inexplicably enchanting.
Before Huo Yuhao could speak, she continued:
"Bing'er said you know my Empress's Palm, is that true?"
Huo Yuhao was taken aback. He hadn't expected her to ask that so suddenly.
Back when the Spirit Transmission Pagoda had just opened, "materials" (opponents) would show up at their doorstep every few days. At that time, the Ice Emperor hadn't fully recovered her strength, and Skydream was often oversleeping, so Huo Yuhao had to handle things himself.
Back then, his combat power was merely at the Limit Douluo level, so he had to use specific techniques to capture targets quickly. The Ice Emperor had watched him several times.
Knowing he couldn't hide it, Huo Yuhao calmed himself. He raised his hand and, without any concealment, performed the Empress's Sword, Empress's Palm, and Empress's Glacial Sky—techniques he had used countless times—right before her eyes.
Withdrawing his hand, Huo Yuhao looked up at the slightly stunned Snow Emperor and smiled softly: "You were the one who taught me these."
"I taught you?"
"Yes."
In his previous life, among his many Soul Spirits, Skydream, the Ice Emperor, and the Snow Emperor were the most special.
They stayed by his side from his weakest moments until he ascended to godhood. When he decided to kill Tang San, they had supported him without a moment's hesitation.
Without a doubt, the Snow Emperor was equally important to him.
The Snow Emperor looked at Huo Yuhao, her ice-blue eyes deep in thought. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Huo Yuhao's eyes take on a golden glow.
Powerful Mental Power swept out. The Snow Emperor felt a brief daze. By the time she snapped out of it, a silver-white cluster of light had appeared in Huo Yuhao's hand.
"This is..."
"Memories." Huo Yuhao paused, naturally lifting the Snow Emperor's hand and placing the silver cluster into her palm. "Everything you want to know is in here."
...
Sun Moon Empire, Imperial Palace.
Inside the Zhenghe Hall, several figures were listening to the report from the Star-Sky Douluo, Ye Yulin.
"...It is confirmed. All sea regions surrounding the Sun Moon Empire have rebuilt statues of the 'Sea God,' and they are all under the jurisdiction of the 'Beast Sect.'
"Furthermore, Your Majesty, please look at this."
As he spoke, Ye Yulin took out a Soul Tool recording device, pressed a button, and projected an image.
On the screen, an enormous dark-purple whale was battling a figure possessing nine blood-red Soul Rings.
The figure with the nine red Soul Rings was clearly no match for the whale, being forced back repeatedly.
However, in the next instant, a massive blue-gold phantom appeared in the sky. With just a single palm strike, the whale was hammered directly into the ocean, vanishing completely.
The projection ended there.
"...Your Majesty, this is just one of the recordings we collected. This entity known as the 'Sea God' has appeared in the ocean multiple times, and the strength displayed..."
Ye Yulin paused before saying:
"...far exceeds that of the three Limit Douluos from that day."
Silence fell over the room.
"Your Majesty." Kong Deming stepped forward at the right moment.
"Imperial Father..." Xu Tianran also spoke up.
However, the figure sitting on the dragon throne simply shook his head calmly.
"I didn't expect a true God to actually exist in this world..."
The Emperor sighed, but he quickly regained his composure. Looking at Kong Deming, he said:
"As we previously discussed, maintain normal trade with the Beast Sect to exchange for Spirit-Forging metals, while simultaneously pushing the production of Battle Armor to the limit.
"I want every Sun Moon Titled Douluo to have a full set of Battle Armor within two years.
"Forty percent of the national treasury's income will be allocated to the military. Elder Kong, you will take charge of this. Speed up the manufacturing of basic equipment. I want three more Soul Tool Engineer Legions for my Sun Moon Empire within two years."
The Emperor paused, stood up slowly, and looked at his ministers with a powerful tone:
"I hope to see the unification of the Sun Moon (continent) within my lifetime! My lords, are you willing to assist me?"
"For the Sun Moon Empire, we will go through fire and water without hesitation!"
"Without hesitation!"
...
Cloud-Hidden Abode, Clear Sky Sect.
Niu Tian and Titan watched the young girl in the distance, who was focusing intently on a pile of Soul Tools. Both were silent, not knowing what to say.
After a long time, Titan pulled Niu Tian aside and whispered:
"Big Brother... what do you think is wrong with Dong'er? Ever since she came back from her Shrek break, she does nothing but tinker with those damn Soul Tools all day, aside from normal cultivation. She won't say a word.
"Could it be that someone at Shrek bullied her?! I told you we shouldn't have let her go. What's the point of attending that crappy school!
"That evil-by-nature Shrek, I'll go right now and—"
"Enough, Titan. Be quiet."
Niu Tian pressed a hand down on the nearly rampaging Titan, saying calmly:
"There is no rush for that. I have something more important to discuss."
"What is it, Big Brother? What could be more important than Dong'er's mood?!" Titan insisted stubbornly.
Niu Tian sighed and said:
"You know that Tang San left a strand of Divine Consciousness in the seals on both my soul and Dong'er's soul under the guise of making communication easier, right?"
"Yeah, I know. What about it?"
"In truth, as early as six years ago, my strand of Divine Consciousness lost contact with the Tang San in the God Realm. I can no longer feel his presence."
"Does that mean... Tang San is dead?!" There was a hint of surprise and a trace of excitement in Titan's voice.
"I'm not sure." Niu Tian shook his head. "But lately, no matter how I tried to trigger that Divine Consciousness, there was no response.
"Until about half a year ago, the Divine Consciousness in my body suddenly shuddered, as if it had experienced something terrifying, before quickly falling silent again. It all happened in a flash, to the point where I thought it was an illusion.
"But now..."
Niu Tian looked at Wang Dong'er in the distance and then turned back to Titan:
"Perhaps it wasn't an illusion, but something that actually happened. If my memory serves me right, the direction I vaguely sensed back then was near Shrek City.
"So, I plan to accompany Dong'er to Shrek when school starts in half a month—secretly, of course.
"At that time..." Niu Tian paused, saying calmly, "...you will come with me."